Jewelry-tray.



G. C. RUEGKERT. JEWELRY TRAY. APPLICATION FILED DEG-.14, 1909.

Patented June 28, 1910.

INVENTEIR.

WITNEEEEE.

'ATTEIRNEY.

GEORGE C. RUECKERT, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

JEWELRY-TRAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 28, 1910.

Application filed December 14, 1909. Serial No. 533,032.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. Rnnoxnn'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Jewelry-Trays, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that type of trays employed for the transportation and display of cards upon which articles of jewelry are mounted. This type of tray is cover-less, shallow, and in use rest one upon the other in a sample case. Transverse partitions with various interspacing are fixed by glue or otherwise at their ends to the walls of the tray. The variety of interspacing is occasioned by the varying widths of the mounting cards to be temporarily placed between the partitions.

The essential objects of my invention are to provide a means to prevent the mounting cards from falling out of the tray when the same is tipped; to accommodate the tray to the use of cards of any dimensions; and to attain these objects in a simple, strong, and inexpensive structure.

To the above ends my invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and embodied in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my novel tray, Fig. 2, a section on line to m of Fig. 1, Fig. 3, a perspective view of a portion of a cross bar, Fig. 4, a section similar to that of Fig. 2 of a modification.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the views.

My novel tray comprises a preferably oblong rectangular frame comprising side bars or walls 8 and end walls or bars 9, in this instance of wood covered with a fabric 10, and strengthened at the wall intersections by thin plates 11 riveted to the bottom surfaces of the intersecting walls. Fixed by glue or otherwise to the bottom of the walls 8 and 9 is a floor 12 preferably of a soft fabric. A fabric is preferred not only because of its non abrasive efiects and lightness, but because of its slightly yielding or flexible qualities. Fixed to the bottom faces of the side walls 8 by glue or otherwise are thin guide strips 13. These are interspaced somewhat from the floor 12. These strips may be of metal, in which case they are, as shown in Fig. 7, preferably fixed by pins 15 passing through a flanged portion 16 of the strip, to the side faces of the walls 8.

A plurality of cross bars 18 are arranged transversely of the frame, and each in detail comprises a flat base portion 19 and a central longitudinally disposed rib portion 20. This rib portion is at both ends undercut to form horizontal inwardly extending slots 21 in which register the strips 13.

In use the bars 18 may he slid longitudinally of the frame upon the strips 13 to accommodate any width of mounting card, or if desired, the bar may be entirely removed by inclining the opposite ends of the bar in opposite directions until the strips 13 are no longer in the slots 21. Then the bars are arranged in approximately the desired posi tions, the margins of the mounting cards may be inserted beneath the strips 13 with their slide edges resting upon the upper faces of the base portions 19 of the adjacent bars and against the ribs 20 where they rest in frictional engagement. The upper and lower faces of the trays may be reversed without danger of the bars and the engaged cards falling out.

What I claim is,

1. In a tray of the type set forth, the combination with a frame having a flexible floor secured to the side and ends of the frame, of flexible guide strips upon the frame above the floor and projecting inwardly over said floor, and cross bars independent of and disconnected from said floor and having vertical longitudinally extending ribs cut away upon their ends leaving slots into which between the outer faces of the cross bars and the under faces of the cut-away portions of the ribs said guide strips engage and interlock, the horizontal portions of said cross bars forming supports for the edges of cards and the ribs serving to separate adjacent cards.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, a tray comprising a rectangular frame having side and end walls, a floor of fabric secured to the bottom of the side and end walls, thin guide strips secured to the bottom faces of said side walls above and separated from the floor within the frame, and a plurality of cross bars disconnected from and independent of the floor and having ribs, the end portions of said ribs being cutaway upon their under faces leaving spaces for the reception of the inwardly extending portions of said guide strips, the horizontal portions of said cross bars forming supports for the edges of cards and the ribs serving to separate adjacent cards.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my slgnature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE C. RUEGKERT.

Witnesses:

HORATIO E. BnLLows, WALTER LOUIS FROST. 

